Student Debt Reform Super PAC

Two weeks of the quarter down already! Of course, I’m already as busy as ever. So typical.

This quarter, I am working on a really exciting project with some students at DePaul that I am extremely pumped about.

My friend, Colin Mackintosh, is the founder and president of his own Super PAC, which is quite amazing. I feel very lucky to be a member of this political organization.

The Super PAC is called the Student Debt Reform PAC and works to fight for the right of current and former students to have the ability to refinance their federal student loans. This issue is such an important one for anyone pursuing a higher education. Trying to tackle the issue with my fellow students is a really refreshing project. To give you a quick snapshot of the current tuition situation in America, take a look at these facts I found while doing a quick Google search:

Student loans have passed credit cards and auto loans to become the second biggest source of personal debt in the U.S., trailing only mortgages

Americans owe $1.2 trillion in student loan debt, a number that has tripled in the last decade

The average Class of 2014 graduate with student loan debt has to pay back some $33,000. Even after adjusting for inflation that’s nearly double the amount borrowers had to pay back 20 years ago

Only 41 percent of students graduate in four years.

Quite honestly, these statistics are quite unsettling. People shouldn’t be punished for wanting to pursue a higher education and make a better future for themselves. With the creation of a Super PAC focused on spreading awareness about student debt reform, it should be comforting that there is an effort in the political realm trying to make a difference.

One of the PAC’s goals is to stay as bipartisan as possible by focusing more on alerting and education people on the importance of the issue of student debt, rather than focusing on promoting individual candidates. I think that student debt reform is truly a bipartisan issue. Unfortunately, everyone can relate to the astronomical amount of debt that our country’s undergraduate and graduate students face.​

On the website, individuals can donate to the PAC using credit or debit cards, PayPal, or by sending a check that includes the required information listed on the website. Individuals can even donate using cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Dogecoin. Pretty tech savvy, I must say.

Also on the website, people can buy debt reform stickers and use them to spread the word! All of the proceeds go to the Student Debt Reform PAC.

It’s cool to apply many of the concepts I have been learning in my classes to a real world project. Being a political science and public relations and advertising double major, I have found my education thus far to be extremely useful.

Whether you’re looking at colleges now, are a current college student, or are still paying off student loans, I hope that you consider student debt reform to be a possibility. Spread the word about the Student Debt Reform PAC!